President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. started the first working hours of his birthday on Tuesday, Sept. 13, by leading the kick-off ceremony of the national bamboo and tree planting in San Mateo, Rizal, where he enjoined the nation to pour all efforts in preserving the earth.

Marcos is celebrating his 65th birthday.

In his speech, he bared that holding the kick-off ceremony of the national simultaneous bamboo and tree planting on this day is his way of celebrating his birthday.

He said that he and Environment Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga came up with the idea to schedule the event on his birthday to magnify the importance of nature.

"Sabi ko: siguro ang pinakamaganada para yung kaarawan ko ay maging mas kabuluhan at talagang may dahilan para tayo mag-celebrate, sabi ko gawa tayo ng greening tree planting (I said: maybe the best and relevant way to celebrate my birthday is to conduct a greening tree planting)," the President said.

'Preserving the environment is preserving life'

Marcos reiterated his message during his first State of the Nation Address (SONA) that "preserving the environment is nothing less than preserving life."

Therefore, he said, it is one of his administration's priorities that would eventually lead to economic gains.

"The challenges we hurdled in recent years highlighted the fact that we have one earth. We must spare no effort to ensure that it survives in the years to come," he said.

The President said the event, which took place at the old San Mateo sanitary landfill in Rizal, is only among the steps Filipinos can do to preserve the environment as it will "greatly help in raising awareness on environmental and protection."

"We have to do this as a concrete step that we take so that nature is cared for because it desperately needs that care and it desperately needs that attention," Marcos said.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is targeting 11,631 hectares of enhanced national greening program sites in 2023.

"And so, the seedlings that we will plant today will be significant in realizing this goal. This program will generate jobs, will generate opportunities and will generate livelihood for our countrymen," Marcos said.

"More than the economic benefit of this activity, we are essentially and primarily investing in ensuring that our planet remains a safe space, never mind for us, but we are only custodians of this earth but more so that we can say to the children, the Filipinos that follow us, that we have taken good care of that which they will inherit," he added.

After leading the ceremonial tree planting on the site, where he planted Kawayang Tinik, Marcos was given a cake by the organizers as they sang him a happy birthday.

The Chief Executive has a packed schedule on his birthday as he is expected to sign the Executive Order for a moratorium on the annual amortization of Agrarian Reform beneficiaries and lead a gift-giving activity at the White Cross Orphanage in San Juan City in the afternoon.